


Home in Her Arms

by AvengersCompound (emilyevanston)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Happy Steve Bingo, Hugs, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Reunions, Romance, Star Spangled Bingo, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 19:01:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21104426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilyevanston/pseuds/AvengersCompound
Summary: Steve returns Home.Square filled:@happystevebingo - Hugs, @star-spangled-bingo - Time Travel





	Home in Her Arms

Steve stood frozen at the door. It was strange how much he’d adjusted to over the past ten years, yet still, this felt like going back home. Now he was here, he was afraid he’d be told he didn’t belong.

He’d planned this. He and Bucky had practically talked it to death. After the battle with Thanos, Steve was just exhausted. He had spent so much of his life, giving up himself. He’d given it up to join the army. He’d been exhausted then too. Losing Bucky, fighting the Red Skull. He’d given up then. Longed for death because death seemed to be the only way he could see where people might actually let him stop fighting. It was the only way he could see where he would allow himself to stop fighting because if there was a wrong that needed to be righted, he always felt like it was his job to right it. He knew it was cowardly to opt out like that, but in the end, he’d been right. He’d woken up in the future and got less than a week before they dragged him back into the exact same fight he’d died attempting to end.

He’d been fighting ever since and it just kept taking from him and he was exhausted. So he’d told Bucky about how he felt like he couldn’t do it anymore. He’d told him about seeing Peggy. How seeing her had woken up a part of him he thought he was dead. They’d spoken about who would take on how the world needed a Captain America. How maybe that person didn’t need to be Steve.

They’d talked and talked and talked and in the end, it was Bucky who had pushed him to go back. Because that was the thing about him and Buck. They both just wanted each other to be happy. Bucky had assured him he’d be okay and besides, it wasn’t like they wouldn’t see each other again.

So now he stood here, in front of her door. Maybe she’d have moved on. The photo on her desk said otherwise, but it was a lot to hope for. He mostly just hoped that seeing him wouldn’t hurt her.

He hoped it was worth the risk because this was it for him. He was home and because nothing he did from this point of time would matter, it meant he could stop. He could change his identity, take on a new career - an artist maybe - be happy. And maybe… maybe Peggy could be with him too.

He raised his hand and knocked.

It was a few moments before the door opened. His breath caught when he saw her standing in front of him. Just as beautiful as he remembered her. A whole slew of emotions seemed to cross her features as she looked up at him. Confusion. Fear. Suspicion. Relief.

“Steve?” She said, a look of mixed bewilderment and disbelief on his face.

“Hi, Peg.” He said gently, not moving. He understood there was a chance she’d think this was a trick. That HYDRA was doing something to get to her. He wanted to be unthreatening.

“Steve?” She said again taking a step forward. “Is that really you?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” he assured her.

Tears pricked her eyes and she reached up and touched his face like she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing. Not that he could blame her. “You’re late.” She said.

“You don’t even know the half of it.” He said and she sunk into him, burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist.

He closed his arms around her and rested his cheek on top of her head breathing her in as she breathed him in. His heart was hammering in his chest and she seemed to put her ear just above it, like the sound of it was proof he was real. “How… how… you died…” she said, her words muffled as she spoke into him.

“It’s a long story. I want to tell you all of it if you’ll let me.” He said.

She looked up at him. “Of course, Steve. We have all the time in the world.”

There was so much he wanted to do right in that moment. Kiss her. Spin her around. Dance. She pressed her cheek against his chest again, her arms tightening around him more as if she was unwilling to let him go. So he held her. Hugging her tightly against him. This would do. Because she was right. They had a lifetime now and he was going to live it.


End file.
